Do Not Be Conformed To This World....

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Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As I was reading and studying, I ask myself, what are the characteristic of the world’s system of thinking and acting? Then, after reading this scripture in Psalm 2:2-3 I saw It begins with hatred. Hatred against God and against Jesus His Son.

The Bible says in Psalm 2:2-3

 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

The Bible tells us that at the crucifixion the religious rulers and all who were part of the world’s system of thinking and living, expressed it like this: “ But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.” Luke 19:14

When I read this, I felt my heart squeeze with sadness and my eyes filled with tears. They didn’t want anything to do with the holy Son of God, who was the kindest and most courageous and compassionate One. They rejected the very Creator who was giving them breath. Jesus loved the ones who were rejecting Him! These were the ones He came to save.

Have you experienced rejection because you have clashed with those who are in your class at school or part of any group that thinks and acts like the world? You may have felt their hatred because you are a Christian. Rejection hurts a lot but the wonderful thing is that Jesus knows your hurt and cares. If He has allowed it in your life, (as you trust Him) He will use it in your life for good. If you feel hatred toward those who have made fun of you and rejected you because of how you look, or because you love Jesus and live for Him…. Let God take your anger and hatred and turn it to love. Yes! Jesus love can and will burst forth in your heart for the ones you would naturally hate…. But first, before you can experience resurrection power (to love your enemies) you must experience ‘death’ to ‘self’, by denying yourself and taking up your cross daily (death to your flesh) and following the Master even in suffering.

Hear me dear ones, Jesus said to expect suffering. He said Don’t be surprised by it…. Accept it and on your knees ‘thank’ Him for it, thank Him He will use it to bring glory to His name and He will use it for your good. Thank Him that you have this opportunity to trust Him to work powerfully in your life. We are to walk by faith and see every trial as a gift and an opportunity to trust Him by faith.

There is nothing on earth more powerful or exciting than loving the unlovely. Think about the Truth that we ourselves have nothing to offer God or to make us worthy of His love. Nothing! We do not keep Him loving us because we ‘do spiritual things’. There is not one thing we have that will give God cause to love us.

I am so thankful for this Truth. I know I could never consistently earn His love. He loves you and He loves me because that is who He is. He cannot act apart from who He is and He is love. So our being loved is secure because it depends completely on Christ’s finished work on the Cross. Hallelujah.

A very important step in this process of trusting Christ in our suffering is forgiveness. There are times I just cannot forgive and then the cry of my heart is….”Lord forgive them for me, love them through me.”

ACTION: Pray God will protect your mind and heart. Ask Him to give you discernment. Be aware of the many ways temptation and selfishness open our hearts to embrace the world’s system of thinking and living. The only way to steel up the girders of your mind is to BE IN GOD’S WORD! This is not a game. Satan plays mean and he plays for keeps. Because we are in Christ, we have victory in our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is what I read in the Bible this morning:

‘but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

I Corintians 15:57

‘Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ Romans 7:25

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

Doesn’t it make you want to jump and shout His praise and worth? Dance before Him and thank Him in song?

Namer of the stars… Lover of our souls, You who Keep and protect and provide and redeem! We shout “Glory to Your Holy Name!” You who teach us to trust You for all we do not understand and for the trials that sting and crush, You alone are God and You reign! I do not really understand that! Bt I know You are faithful now and forever. I love you Jesus, Holy One. Thank You for loving us and keeping us and for being filled with loving compassion toward us. We pray in the perfect name above all names, Jesus. amen!